Comments on: Howard Rheingold's Mind Amplifier ebook http://boingboing.net/2012/09/30/howard-rheingolds-mind-a.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Tue, 21 May 2013 21:59:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: John Sweden http://boingboing.net/2012/09/30/howard-rheingolds-mind-a.html#comment-1545464 John Sweden Sun, 30 Sep 2012 23:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=184302#comment-1545464 "...leverage our ability to think, communicate, and cooperate" - Now there's a worthy goal. Not much of that in the world at the moment. “…leverage our ability to think, communicate, and cooperate” – Now there’s a worthy goal. Not much of that in the world at the moment.

]]> By: Robert Holmén http://boingboing.net/2012/09/30/howard-rheingolds-mind-a.html#comment-1545407 Robert Holmén Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:16:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=184302#comment-1545407  I'm just impressed by the name "Rheingold" and think there should also be a Howard Walkure, Howard Siegfried and Howard Gotterdammerung to balance that out. But regarding his insight that maybe our digital tools could make us better... how is that a new idea?  That's been the stated promise of every new communication technology since the telegraph. I hope he writes better than whoever wrote the TED blurb for him.   I’m just impressed by the name “Rheingold” and think there should also be a Howard Walkure, Howard Siegfried and Howard Gotterdammerung to balance that out.

But regarding his insight that maybe our digital tools could make us better… how is that a new idea?  That’s been the stated promise of every new communication technology since the telegraph.

I hope he writes better than whoever wrote the TED blurb for him. 

]]> By: lecti http://boingboing.net/2012/09/30/howard-rheingolds-mind-a.html#comment-1545365 lecti Sun, 30 Sep 2012 19:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=184302#comment-1545365 It's a very interesting topic. I read it briefly, but it seems to be nothing but collection of historical tidbits with what can be identified as "mind amplification" tools from what exists to this day.  It's rather descriptive with very little synthesis. It probably could have been better if the concept of mind amplification could be abstracted further - the whole thrust of the mini essay seems to be that modern information tools should be consciously created to make us more intelligent, but the examples given doesn't seem to be rigorously thought out to show us exactly how we design such tools, and how to measure its performance.   I loved "The Information" that Cory has recommended in the past, but this one, not so much. Have I missed something here? It’s a very interesting topic.

I read it briefly, but it seems to be nothing but collection of historical tidbits with what can be identified as “mind amplification” tools from what exists to this day.  It’s rather descriptive with very little synthesis. It probably could have been better if the concept of mind amplification could be abstracted further – the whole thrust of the mini essay seems to be that modern information tools should be consciously created to make us more intelligent, but the examples given doesn’t seem to be rigorously thought out to show us exactly how we design such tools, and how to measure its performance.  

I loved “The Information” that Cory has recommended in the past, but this one, not so much.

Have I missed something here?

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